The present invention refers to a relay, and in particular to a relay including a base member that supports a magnetic system and has an armature pivoted on a bearing edge of the base member and having a free end movable in an actuation direction on the bearing edge relative to a pole face between a release position and an attracted position upon energizing and deenergizing of the coil, with the bearing edge extending in the plane of a second pole face, and with a retention spring being received at a support area of the armature for holding the armature in contact with the bearing edge.
German pat. no. DE-A1 30 09 718 discloses an electromagnetic relay with a retention spring in form of a leaf spring that has a long resilient leg and pushes at this end via a semicircular impression the armature via an embossed surface in the armature bend onto the blade of the yoke. Lateral projections precisely position the armature in its lateral position upon the yoke.
Conventional relays of this type have the drawback that the manufacture of the retention springs is relatively material-intensive and cost-intensive because their typically complicated configuration makes it difficult to keep proper dimensions and requires three-dimensional deformations of pre-fabricated spring blanks. This is in particular true in case the retention spring should generate a recoil torque for loading the armature into the release position in addition to generating a force for securing the armature upon the bearing.